"Hours" are when
the monks gather in the church to sing
and pray together. The Psalms and Canticles of the Bible form the
backbone of these prayer periods. There is always a reading from
Holy Scripture, longer or shorter for the different hours. Taken
together, these prayer periods form the Liturgy of the Hours.

Liturgy of the Hours

Vigils is the night office. Some monks, notably the Carthusians,
rise at midnight to chant this hour and then return to sleep. Most monks
who follow the Rule of St. Benedict, as we do, rise later at night (or
early in the morning) and do not retire after this prayer. The word
itself, Vigils, means "watching," and reminds us of the warning of Jesus
that we must watch and be prepared at all times for his coming (e.g.,
at the moment of our death and at the final judgment).

Lauds means "praise" and is the morning prayer. It is
one of the two cardinal prayer periods, the other being the evening
prayer, Vespers. Formerly, Lauds was prayed at daybreak. Here we pray
it at 6 a.m. year-round.

Terce or Tierce comes from the Latin word tertia,
meaning "third [hour]." In ancient times, people divided the day into
12 hours and started counting at sunrise. The third hour, therefore,
coincided more or less with 9 a.m. Here we pray it at 7:45 a.m.

Sext comes from the Latin word sexta, meaning "sixth [hour],"
which, in ancient times was our 12 noon. It was approximately the hour
when Jesus was crucified.

None comes from the Latin word nona, meaning "ninth [hour]."
That coincides approximately with our 3 p.m. It is also the hour when
Jesus died on the cross. We pray None at 2:15 p.m.

Vespers comes from the Latin vesper, meaning "evening."
As we saw above, it is the second of the two major prayer periods. It
is intended to be prayed by daylight, says St. Benedict in his rule
for monks.

Compline comes from the Latin completorium, meaning the
ending of the day or night prayer. Originally it seems to have been
prayed in the large common dormitory of the monks just before they retired,
but for centuries it has been prayed in the church. Originally it was
invariable during the whole year, so that it could easily be memorized
and prayed in the dark. We pray it at 7:30 p.m.

"When they live by the labor of their hands, as our fathers and
the apostles did, then they are really monks," St. Benedict writes in
his Rule for Monks (ch 48).

At the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity we put this injunction
into practice by earning our own living through farming and other industries
and crafts. The members of the community have to be fed, clothed, and
have their health needs met. Guests too must be housed and fed. Monks,
therefore, are assigned to cleaning and cooking for the community and
for the visitors. As far as possible we try to do our own maintenance
and repair work in the monastery and the guest quarters.

On our 1800-acre farm approximately 700 acres are cultivated. To grow crops of alfalfa
and barley we need to irrigate the fields, because the climate in Utah
is comparatively dry. Currently we are leasing the farm land to a neighbor who sees to the irrigation and harvesting of the crops. Similarly, we are leasing our range land and feeding stations to a neighbor who raises beef cattle. Income from these lease arrangements goes for the support of the
monks and other charitable purposes.